


I Could Get Lost In Your Paradise

by CUKat23



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: AvaLance, F/F, One Shot, dance au, lost in japan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 12:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16702168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CUKat23/pseuds/CUKat23
Summary: Ava is a contemporary dancer, Sara is a hip hop dancer and they teach at the same studio.  They’re forced to work together when both agree to help fellow dancer, Zari, with a project for a class.Just the dance AU none of you asked for :)





	I Could Get Lost In Your Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> This came to me at the most random moment and I had to write it because I couldn’t make any progress on any other fic until I got it out of my head. 
> 
> Also, when I picture them dancing to “Lost In Japan,”. This is the choreography I’m picturing something like this: https://youtu.be/JGtZZYwNQX8
> 
> And when Ava dances to “Bruises” I’m picturing this: https://youtu.be/SqMhX90eKS0
> 
> And when they dance to “Eastside” it’s just very loose and freestyle

Ava sat on the floor of the large dance studio near the far wall. She was quietly stretching her legs as the last class of the day finished up. It was a relatively small class, composed mostly of adult couples. The couple that were dancing at the moment were spinning around the room performing a classic waltz. Ava recognized the woman, Nora. She had been taking classes at the studio for a while and had even taken a beginner contemporary class that Ava had taught. Her partner, on the other hand, didn’t look familiar and didn’t appear to be much of a dancer. He was tall and a little bit clumsy as he led Nora in the dance but what he lacked in grace, he made up for in charisma. He smiled happily as he spun Nora one last time and ended the dance.

“It’s really improving, Ray!” The instructor, Leo Snart, said as he patted the large man on the back. “Great job today guys!” He shouted to the rest of the class, clapping loudly. “We’ll see you guys next week.”

Loud chatter broke out as the group began to disperse. A few of the people who had taken Ava’s classes spoke to her as they exited and Ava smiled politely, never moving from her spot on the floor. Finally, the room emptied except for Leo who was finishing cleaning up after his class.

Ava stood up from the floor and walked over to where Leo was putting stuff in his bag. Leo and his husband, Ray, owned the dance studio and Ava had been one of their first instructors when they decided to expand the business. Initially the studio had focused on ballroom, ballet, and jazz because those were Leo and Ray’s specialities but Ava joining the team allowed them to expand to contemporary and basic hip hop. Shortly after that, they hired Amaya Jiwe, Zari Tomaz, and Sara Lance, who specialized in ballet, tap, and hip hop respectively.

“Ava Sharpe,” Leo drawled playfully as she walked up. “How was New York?”

“Much colder than California,” Ava laughed.

“Did my husband work you too hard?”

“Of course he did but I don’t mind,” Ava laughed. Leo and Ray were expanding their dance company and had chosen New York as their next location. Across the country wasn’t exactly ideal but they had a good friend there, Mick Rory, who would run the business for them so they only had to visit bimonthly. Mick wasn’t a dancer, by any means, but he was a smart business man and a lover of art so, he would do a wonderful job overseeing the business. Ray had been in New York for over a month making the final touches to get everything up and going and had invited Ava out to work with the new instructors.

“I’m guessing you turned down the offer to stay?” Leo asked as he zipped up his bag and threw the strap over his shoulder.

Ava nodded. “I’m flattered that you have that much trust in me but California is home. I’m not sure I’m cut out for New York. I promised to make trips fairly regularly to teach special classes as long as you guys are paying though.”

Leo laughed and patted Ava on the shoulder. “I think some of the other instructors are coming in to use the studio tonight but just make sure you lock it up when you leave.”

“You got it boss.”

With that, Leo exited the studio and Ava heard the big metal door shut behind him. She sighed happily as she looked around the now quiet studio. The walls were a deep red and the floors were a light wood grain. It looked almost identical to the one she had spent all of her time in for the past three weeks but for some reason, this one felt like home. She walked over to the audio system on the far wall and plugged her phone into the jack. She opened her music and pressed play on the song she had been choreographing a new dance to, remembering to push replay before locking her phone.

She moved into the center of the room and looked at herself in the mirrored wall as the opening notes to “Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi started to play. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, letting the music flow through her. She had started working on the choreography before she left for New York but had put it on the back burner while she was there. She hadn’t gotten a chance to freestyle since before she had left and it felt nice. It was like she could feel the notes enter her ears and bleed into the rest of her body, slowly making its way to her arms and legs.

She let the music carry her around the room, spinning and leaping around the room where the music crescendoed and slowing down to more intricate moves when the time was right. She followed the beats like they were leading her to her destination. The music always seemed to know the way.

She was so caught up in the song and her movements that she didn’t notice she had an audience until the song came to an end and the sound of clapping filled her ears where the music had left. Her head snapped towards the doorway and she instantly recognized the three women standing there.

“That was beautiful Ava,” Zari Tomaz said as she dropped her bag and followed Ava towards the audio system that was already starting to play the same song again.

“Thanks,” Ava responded.

“How was New York?”

“It was okay, not really for me,” Ava chuckled.

“Really? I think I would like New York,” Zari said thoughtfully.

“You probably would actually.” Ava could see Zari fitting into New York well with her dry humor and rough-around-the-edges personality.

Zari hummed thoughtfully. “Anyways, I’m really glad you’re here because I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“What’s that?” Ava turned her full attention to Zari and for the first time noticed that she was wearing black leggings under a baggy t-shirt with a giant donut on it. Ava shook her head at the shirt but didn’t comment on it.

“I have to choreograph a dance for one of my classes at UCLA and it has to be a couples dance and I can’t be a part of it. So, I was wondering if you would be willing to help me out.”

Ava seemed hesitant, “I don’t know Zari, I’m a little behind on material for my classes here from where I’ve been in New York.”

“Please Ava? I’ll help you with material for your classes if you’ll help me with this. It’s for thirty percent of my grade. I was going to have Sara and Amaya do it, but Amaya is going to be away at a competition the week the assignment is due. I only want to put this in the hands of the best dancers I know and they’re all in this room,” Zari was almost begging now and she was definitely trying to butter Ava up.

Ava sighed. “So I would be dancing with Sara?” Ava and Sara had a strange relationship. Neither had ever done anything to one another and they were rarely in competition, but there had always been an odd tension between the two. They only spoke when it was required or in a semi-friendly fashion when they passed each other in the studio. Ava had always chalked it up to them just being very different people. When she was at the studio, Ava was a bit stiff. She considered it her work space and took it very seriously so, even she admitted that she could be a little intense at times. Sara was the polar opposite. She was small and spunky with a quick tongue to match. She didn’t take herself quite as seriously as Ava did and maybe that bugged Ava a bit. She wasn’t sure if it was because Sara’s laid back attitude irritated her or if she was a little jealous of it.

“Yeah,” Zari said hesitantly. “I know you two don’t work together a lot but I think your different styles could really bring something to this piece and blow it out of the water.”

Ava knew she was being buttered up now but she felt bad for Zari. She knew what it was like trying to get people to help you on projects like this. “Okay, I’ll help you but you’ve got to help me with my classes.”

Zari threw her head back in relief. “Thank  
you so much Ava! Do you mind if I show you what I’ve got so far? That’s what we came here to work on tonight. Amaya has just been filling the spot with Sara until I could find someone permanently.”

“Sure,” Ava shrugged. She left Zari to plug her phone in and set up the music while she walked over to her bag to get a sip of water. Sara and Amaya were stretching near her bag and she greeted them politely. She was taking a drink of her water when she felt someone standing close to her.

“So are we dance partners now?” The voice asked.

Ava looked to her right and down a little to where Sara was standing, wearing sweat pants and a baggy t shirt. “I guess so.”

“Cool,” Sara said. Ava wasn’t sure what she was expecting but Sara never said anymore. She just stood next to her while Ava finished getting a drink.

“Okay,” Zari said with a clap getting the other three women’s attention. “Ava, we’ll show you what I’ve got so far and you can tell me what you think. I’m trying to incorporate some contemporary in it. Since that’s your speciality, if you have any advice, I’d love to hear it.”

Ava nodded as the music started to play. She hadn’t ever heard the song playing through the speakers but she recognized the artist as Shawn Mendes. Sara and Amaya danced as Zari watched closely, mimicking their moves. Ava could tell that the dance was in its early stages. It was short and a little broken, almost like it had a beginning and end but was still lacking a middle.

Zari clicked the music off and looked to Ava. “So, what do you think?”

“It’s a good start,” Ava said honestly. “Do you want my input or do you want me to just shut up and learn the dance?”

Zari laughed. “I’d appreciate any input you have. Sara and Amaya have contributed to what I have so far.”

“I think it’s a good start,” Ava said honestly. “The middle section needs the most work right now.”

“Yeah, I want to incorporate some contemporary there and I was hoping you could help.”

Ava nodded and walked over to where Sara and Amaya were standing. “You mind if I cut in?” She asked Amaya.

Amaya nodded and walked away and Sara quirked an eyebrow at the taller woman.

“Can you show me the first steps again?” Ava asked Sara.

Zari started the song over and Ava watched closely as Sara began to move. The first part of the dance was simple enough and it only took Sara going through twice before Ava got the hang of it. The third time through, Ava was mimicking Sara’s moves as they did the first part of the dance semi-smoothly. They proceeded to the middle part of the dance where Sara and Ava had to physically interact with one another and that’s when it went a bit off the rails. As soon as they attempted the first move, they managed to immediately trip over one another.

“Well that was...ungraceful,” Zari chuckled.

“Yeah...hey, Sara, do you mind if I lead?” She didn’t mean for the question to sound sarcastic but as soon as the words left her mouth, she could see that Sara had taken them that way.

“Why should you lead? I’m the one who knows the dance,” Sara said matter-of-factly. Her perfectly arched eyebrow raising in a challenge.

“I’m just used to leading,” Ava challenged back.

“I bet you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ava asked, now defensive.

“Oookay ladies...” Zari said as she stepped between Sara and Ava. She was trying to defuse what could be a very explosive interaction. She didn’t know Ava well but Zari knew that she could be a little standoffish and she knew for a fact that Sara could have a quick temper and a sharp tongue. “Maybe Sara should lead until you get the dance down and then maybe we can reevaluate?”

Ava didn’t look completely happy with the idea but shrugged anyways.

They continued late into the night before Zari’s loud yawning convinced everyone it was time to go home.

 

Several weeks later, the dance was finally coming together, despite Zari making changes every time they got together. They were now meeting two to three times a week, after the studio closed, to work on the routine.

“Where the hell is Sara?” Zari asked no one in particular. She was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, as she checked her phone again. It was only her and Ava since Amaya had stopped joining them a couple weeks before.

Ava shrugged and went back to her text message thread with her best friend, Gary.

Gary: Soooo...how’s dancing with the hip hop hottie?

Ava: I say she’s not bad looking ONE TIME *eye roll emoji*

Gary: Which might as well be “OMG Gary, I’m in love with this girl,” in Ava speak.

Ava: Love is a strong word Gary. She may be easy on the eyes but she’s hard on my nerves. She’s insufferable

Gary: Sounds like just your type *winky face emoji*

“Finally!” Ava heard Zari say in exasperation. “Where have you been?”

Ava: I gotta go, she just got here.

Gary: *kissy emoji*

Ava rolled her eyes hard and tossed her phone into her bag. She stood up and finally looked towards where Zari and Sara were arguing playfully and very nearly tripped over her own feet. Sara was wearing her typical sweatpants and tennis shoes but instead of a baggy t-shirt, like normal, she was wearing only a tight black sports bra. Ava’s eyes were instantly drawn to the most chiseled set of abs she had ever seen. Sara had a legitimate six pack that dove into a well defined V, disappearing under the top of her sweats.

Ava tried desperately to look away from the muscles that were already covered in sweat. She finally was able to tear her eyes away only to be mortified when she looked directly into Sara’s eyes. The small blonde was sporting her trademark smirk and Ava wanted to melt into the floor.

“You good over there Sharpe?” Sara asked innocently.

“Fine...I’m fine,” Ava stuttered out as she walked towards Sara and Zari. “Did you work out before you came here?”

“All she does is work out,” Zari said with an eye roll.

“I can tell,” Ava said before her brain could catch up with her mouth. Her eyes got huge and she kicked herself for letting her internal thoughts seep out. She could tell that her flirty compliment had caught Zari by surprise too because her eyes were huge.

Thankfully, Sara remained cool as ever and cleared her throat. “What Zari means is that I’m a fitness trainer by day. I spend most of my time in a gym.”

Ava nodded dumbly, thankful that Sara didn’t call her out for once.

There was a beat of awkwardness where Sara and Ava looked dead into one another’s eyes before Sara looked at Zari and raised her eyebrows. “So, are we ready to start?”

The rest of the session went on without a hitch but Ava felt a shift in her dynamic with Sara. Their eyes locked more often when they were dancing and for the first time, she allowed herself to have fun and smile while they worked.

Sara seemed to sense the shift as well because she gave Ava the same energy right back, even throwing in a few ad lib moves that she later promised Zari she would leave out on performance day. She had finally agreed to let Ava lead the week before and she even seemed like she wasn’t upset about that anymore. She happily followed Ava’s lead without complaint.

Even with it being the best session yet, it went on late into the night. They finally stopped around eleven when Zari remembered her eight am class the next morning. She quickly said goodbye to Ava and Sara and dashed out the door, leaving the two of them alone in the studio.

“It’s coming together nice,” Sara said casually.

“Pardon?” Ava looked up from packing her bag to Sara who was drying sweat over her neck and stomach with a white towel.

“The routine. It’s starting to come together.”

“Oh! Yeah. Zari’s a better choreographer than she gives herself credit for.” Ava peeled her eyes away from Sara and busied herself with looking for the studio keys.

Sara hummed thoughtfully. Ava thought she was done trying to make conversation so she was surprised when she spoke again. “Anything I can help with?”

“Um...get the lights?” Ava asked.

Sara nodded and walked towards the light switches, killing the lights to the studio. She quickly turned on the flashlight app on her phone and pointed it to where she knew Ava was. “It’s creepy in here without the lights.”

Ava laughed. “A little bit.” She led Sara out of the studio and locked the door behind her. She was surprised again when Sara stayed right by her side as she locked up.

“I figured I would walk you to your car,” Sara explained when Ava looked at her questioningly. “It’s late.”

Ava smiled. “I appreciate the thought but I walked today.”

“Do you live far?”

“About four blocks that way,” Ava explained as she pointed away from the studio.

“Oh, awesome. I can walk you home then,” Sara smiled.

“You live that way?”

“In the area,” Sara shrugged. “Let me grab my bike.” She walked over to the bike rack and unlocked a bike chain that was wrapped around a black mountain bike. She walked the bike back to where Ava was waiting on her and smiled.

Both girls unconsciously walked slower than normal towards Ava’s apartment. They talked about dance and argued over if tea or coffee was better. Ava being a staunch coffee supporter, playfully gagged when Sara started listing her favorite hot teas.

“Tea is better for you,” Sara argued.

“It may be better for my body, but not for my taste buds.”

Finally, they made it to Ava’s apartment and Sara found herself sad when Ava stopped walking.

“This is it,” Ava said.

Sara sighed. “Too bad. I almost had you convinced to try chamomile tea.”

“No, you didn’t.” Ava laughed and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her right ear.

Sara bit her lip at the movement and decided now might be her only opportunity to do what she’d been thinking about all night. “I—“

“Well I—“

They both laughed as they accidentally talked over one another.

“You go ahead,” Sara said.

“I was just going to say thank you for walking me home and for uh, letting me lead.” Ava Sharpe did not blush but if she did blush, she might be doing so at this moment.

“No problem. You’re a pretty good lead,” Sara joked.

“Were you going to say something?” Ava asked expectantly.

Sara looked into Ava’s eyes and the little bit of courage she had gained earlier seemed to float away with the light breeze of the night, because she simply shook her head. “Oh, uh, no. I was just going to say have a good night.”

“Good night Sara. I’ll see you on Thursday.” With that Ava walked up the stairs to her building and disappeared behind the big wooden doors.

Sara waited until she saw Ava’s shadow ascending the stairs through the glass pane in the doors before she hopped on her bicycle. She turned it around and rode back in the direction they had just came from. She pedaled quickly down the four blocks they had just walked, past the dance studio, and on another six blocks before arriving back at the apartment she shared with Amaya.

“You’re late,” Amaya observed from the couch where she was watching a movie with her boyfriend, Nate.

“I walked Ava home after our session.” She noticed Amaya quirked eyebrow and that she was about to say something so she held up a finger to her best friend. “Don’t say a word. You kids behave. I’m going to shower and go to bed.”

Sara quickly showered and curled into bed, looking at her clock that read twelve thirty a.m. She groaned loudly and flipped over, curling down further in her blankets praying for sleep to come fast. Her five a.m. alarm for work was going to come early.

 

Thursday rolled around quickly and Ava found herself back in the studio. She felt like she spent every waking hour there between preparing for and teaching her own classes during the day, and perfecting the dance for Zari’s project in the evening. The studio already felt like a second home to Ava and now she felt like she should just set up a cot in the storage closet in the back.

She was just thinking how surprised she was that Zari hadn’t got here yet when she heard the door open. “You’re running late today Zari!” Ava shouted across the studio.

“Sorry to disappoint, but no Zari here,” Sara joked as she rounded the corner.

Ava was surprised to see Sara, who was eternally late to everything, arrive before Zari. “I’m not disappointed,” Ava said much too quickly. “Just surprised. It’s usually you that’s running late.”

“But I always show,” Sara said, shooting legit finger guns at Ava, making her roll her eyes, hard. “Z, however, will not be joining us tonight. She texted me a few minutes ago, something came up.”

Ava scrunched her eyebrows. “It must be something important. This dance is due next week, I figured she’d be firmly into tyrant mode on it by now.”

Sara shrugged her shoulders as she dropped her bag down on the floor. “She didn’t say but I’m sure it is. Either way, looks like it’s just us tonight.” She removed her phone from the waist band of the black leggings she was wearing and walked towards the audio system. “Think you can handle a night of just me?” Sara asked over her shoulder while she scrolled through her playlist looking for the song she wanted.

“I think I can manage.”

Sara finally found the song she was looking for but let her finger hover over the button for a moment before she actually hit it.

Ava was in position and shaking out her muscles when the beginning notes started to pour from the speakers. She was instantly off balance, however, when the overly familiar entrance to Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes wasn’t what she heard. It took her another few seconds to recognize the song. She looked at Sara curiously through the mirror as she approached.

“I love Shawn Mendes but I’m a little sick of him right now,” Sara laughed. “I thought we could warm up to something different tonight. Just don’t tell the boss,” Sara whispered conspiratorially.

Ava squinted at Sara as if she was seeing a different side to the girl. Up until their last session, Sara had been sassy and bordering cold with her. Now, she was being friendly and Ava might even go as far as to say she thought Sara was flirting with her a bit. She didn’t hate it, she decided.

“I do love this song,” Ava said finally, well into the first chorus of Eastside by Khalid and Halsey.

Sara smiled and started moving her hips slowly to the beat of the music and Ava caught herself staring at the entrancing motion. Not wanting to let Sara catch her staring again after the embarrassment at the last session, she looked away quickly and tried to focus on the music. It didn’t take long for the beat to find her and she started moving freely as well.

While the two started, a good six foot away from each other, they slowly were drawn together like magnets. Hands found hips and feet instantly began to move in sync as if they had rehearsed this particular dance. Ava immediately noticed that Sara was incorporating some moves Ava had taught her in the past few weeks.

They danced to the song twice before Sara finally sighed and walked over to her phone. “Back to the grind,” she said as she clicked on the song they had been dancing to for weeks.

“Let’s run it straight through and see how it goes,” Ava said.

“Hang on, I’m burning up.” Sara walked over to her bag and pulled the long sleeve shirt she was wearing, over her head and tossed it on top of her bag. Underneath, she was wearing the same black sports bra from the last session.

Ava scrunched her eyebrows and decided that she wouldn’t be the only one struggling to concentrate this session. “I agree,” she said casually and pulled her tank top off, revealing a similar sports bra in grey.

This time it was Sara who got caught staring at Ava’s surprisingly toned body. Ava wanted to gloat terribly but decided better of it. “You coming?”

Sara jogged over and joined her just as the first chorus ended. She waited patiently for Ava’s count and they started dancing when the time was right.

From the first steps, the energy was different between them. It was different from every other session, including the last one. There was an intensity in each move that neither could describe. Their moves were completely in sync, down to the most minuscule details and even Ava was astounded as she watched herself and Sara through the huge mirrors.

They ran it through three more times, each time nearing perfection but also getting more intense. Neither had spoken a word, fearing they would break the moment. Finally, after the fourth straight run-through, Ava held her hand up in defeat. “I need a quick water break,” she said through heavy breaths.

Sara nodded, also out of breath. She walked over and paused the music, letting silence fall around them. The soft taps of the soles of her shoes on the hardwood floor was the only sound as she joined Ava on the floor between their bags. She grabbed her water bottle out of her bag and took a big swig.

They sat in the quiet for a few moments before Ava couldn’t take it anymore. “I think this is going to be really great.”

“What’s that?”

“The performance. I think we’ll get Zari an A, don’t you think?”

Sara only hummed her agreement, clearly deep in thought. “Can I ask you something? Something not dance related?”

“Sure,” Ava said, a little confused at the change of subject.

“Who IS Ava Sharpe?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, tell me about you. You seemed so closed off at first and a little uptight, to be honest, but you seem more relaxed now. I feel like I’m seeing a different person.”

“To be fair, you weren’t the warmest of people when we first started this,” Ava pointed out.

“That’s fair,” Sara nodded. She didn’t speak for a few seconds before she seemed to make a decision. “You’re a little intimidating. It had me on my heels?”

“I’m intimidating?” Ava asked in disbelief.

“Sure. You’re tall, beautiful, and an amazing dancer. The best dancer in this studio, maybe one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s sweet but I think you’re giving me more credit than I deserve.”

Sara shook her head. “I’m not. I don’t do that. You’re a really incredible dancer and it blows my mind that you don’t see it. I will say you move better when you’re comfortable though. The level you’ve elevated to the last two sessions, has made it hard for me to keep up.”

Ava blushed slightly and dropped her head. “You’re really incredible too. I would kill to learn some of the hip hop stuff you do. The breaking is insane! Plus, you’re in amazing shape. You’re definitely the most ripped person I know.”

“Hazard of the job,” Sara laughed.

“Thank you,” Ava said seriously.

Sara shrugged. “Well? You never answered me. Other than a ridiculously talented dancer, who is Ava Sharpe?”

Ava sighed. “Uhm, well...I’m from Fresno originally. I’m adopted, an only child, and I went to a private school of arts so sometimes my social skills leave a little to be desired. I started dancing ballet when I was six because I was literally the clumsiest kid you’ve ever met but I fell in love with contemporary around eleven.”

“How’d you end up in LA from Fresno?”

“I tell myself I came out here for school and more opportunities to be able to dance as a profession but really, I followed a girl that ended up breaking my heart.”

Sara’s eyebrows shot up. She had a feeling about Ava but that confirmed it. “You don’t seem like the kind of girl that would pick up and move to follow some girl.”

“Not some girl, THE girl. Or so I thought. Her name was Kendra Saunders and she was literally the girl next door. We were friends from the moment we met, even ended up at the same school. She was studying music and I was studying dance. When we were freshmen, we started experimenting like teenagers do and she was my first kiss, and then my first love, and many other firsts. After, high school she moved out here to join a band and become a rock star.”

“What happened?”

Ava chuckled. “She got what she wanted. She became a small time rock star for a while, developed a small local following, played all over California and Nevada. Unfortunately, the more successful her music career got, the more our relationship started to self destruct. She got into some pretty rough crowds. Drugs, groupies, the usual, and eventually she got too big for a small town Fresno girl.”

“You seem like so much more than that,” Sara said.

“Maybe now, but not so much back then.” Ava seemed to get lost in memories for a minute before she shook her head gently. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Mm-hmm. I told you my sad tale, what about yours? I picture you being a young surfer girl turned dancer.”

Sara laughed loudly. “Then you would not be picturing Sara Lance. I’m from the East Coast, Star City.”

“Really?” Ava looked shocked at the information.

“Yep,” Sara popped the “P” loudly. “Home sweet home has one of the highest crime rates in the country.”

“Wow...”

Sara nodded. “My dad’s police chief now but he was a cop and then a detective when I was growing up. My mom’s a professor in Central City. They got divorced when I was like sixteen.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it sucks but them being divorced was better than the constant fighting.” Sara shrugged. “I have an older sister who is a District Attorney back home, so I am the the one my parents worry about. The one who took off to L.A. to chase some crazy dream.”

“So you came to L.A. to be a star?”

“I don’t care anything about being famous. I just had to get away from the Lance family shadow. Especially after I screwed up my relationship with my sister when I slept with her boyfriend.”

Ava’s tried not to let Sara see her disappointment at the new information.

“I, uh, wasn’t the best person before I left Star City. Everything had always come easy to Laurel. School was easy, her relationship with our parents was easy, boys were easy. So when her rich, handsome boyfriend showed interest in me, I jumped at the opportunity and even though it started as a petty thing, I ended up falling for him.”

“What happened?”

Sara blew out a hard breath. “Laurel found out and freaked, so I went to her to try to fix things but Ollie had beat me to it. Blamed the whole thing on me and there was nothing I could say at that point that would change Laurel’s mind. So, I packed up my stuff and moved across the country. I moved to L.A. with a severely damaged relationship with my sister and a broken heart.”

“I’m sorry,” Ava said sincerely.

Sara shrugged casually. “Nothing to be sorry about. I brought it on myself and Laurel and I are on our way to repairing our relationship. We talk some now. And as far as Oliver is concerned, eh, I like girls more anyway.” She winked at Ava who blushed furiously and dropped her head again.

Ava cleared her throat and messed with the cap of her water bottle to try to avoid eye contact with Sara. “So have you always danced?”

“No, actually, I didn’t start dancing until I was in high school. I had some friends who got into breaking and it was a fairly easy transition from gymnastics and martial arts.”

“Martial arts?” Ava was finding that she was endlessly surprised by this woman.

“Mmhmm,” Sara hummed around a mouthful of water. She swallowed the big gulp before wiping away a bit of water that had dripped down her chin. “I have black belts in Muay Thai, TaeKwonDo, Karate, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, and Krav Maga.”

“You’re basically a ninja.”

Sara laughed. “I’ve just been doing it since I was young. I’m still taking classes in Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga, and Wing Chun to get higher levels. Plus, I teach a weekly class in self defense for women at the community center.”

“So you teach classes here, take AND teach martial arts classes, and have a full time job as a personal trainer? How do you have time to do anything else?” Ava asked.

“I don’t sleep much,” Sara laughed. “Nah, I’m just kidding. I just schedule well and am motivated to do it. I actually enjoy what I do for a living. Most people can’t say that. Also, I can’t go back to Star City a failure. That’s just not an option.”

“Well, you’re definitely not a failure,” Ava said gently. Their eyes met and Sara smiled softly at Ava’s words.

“So, what do you do when you’re not here? I used to assume you just lived here. I’m still not convinced the apartment I walked you to isn’t just a cover and you came back here later that night.”

Ava laughed and rolled her eyes. “I am here a lot. I teach like twelves classes a week now I think. When I’m not here, though, sometimes I help out at Leo’s real estate company. Just mainly secretarial stuff. I’m pretty good with organization and Leo trusts me. I would probably cut back to just working here if it wasn’t for Leo counting on me.”

“How do you know Leo and Ray?”

“They took a chance on me when no one else would,” Ava said.

Sara scrunched her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“When Kendra and I broke up, things were tough for a while. I was working a couple dead ends jobs that were barely letting me make ends meet and I was miserable because all I wanted to do was dance. So, I started going to studios trying to get a teaching spot and so many of them turned their noses up at me before they would even watch me dance. I finally had given up and went to an audition for this tiny little community center play that I had heard featured some dancing. Well, I got on stage and looked out and there sat Leo next to the director. He looked at me over his glasses with his hands folded under his chin the entire time and never showed any expression so I thought I had blown the audition. Then, as I was packing up to leave, he showed up backstage and told me I was too talented to be auditioning for a background part in a community play and he offered me a job teaching a couple classes here. He didn’t know if I was even capable of teaching what I know to someone else but he took a chance on me.”

Sara looked impressed. “And now you basically run this studio.”

Ava nodded. “I guess. Ray doesn’t have time to teach classes anymore since he runs the business side and Leo’s down to teaching just the one night class, so  
I’ve picked up most of their classes.”

It was a few minutes before Sara said anything else. Ava started to stand up, not wanting her muscles to get any cooler than they had already gotten. Sara stood up with her and they slowly started to walk towards the center of the room.

“Zari said that you went and saw the new studio in New York,” Sara said suddenly, surprising Ava.

“Oh, yeah. I went out for a few weeks and helped Ray get everything going. They actually tried to convince me to stay and officially take over out there but I turned down the offer.”

“Why?”

Ava shrugged as she gently stretched her hamstrings. “I don’t know. I guess I was unhappy here for so long; now that I’m happy, I’m not ready to leave just yet.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you stayed.”

The quiet admission stunned Ava and for the briefest of moments, the two locked eyes. Sara looked away first this time as she cleared her throat.

“Let’s run through Zari’s choreography one more time and then we can call it a night,” she said.

Ava only nodded in response, not trusting her voice, as she moved into position. Sara started the music and joined her within moments. They locked eyes in the mirror as the beginning notes started and Ava counted them in. The choreography was second nature to her now and Ava wasn’t even thinking about what her body was doing as she watched Sara dance in the mirror.

As they moved closer for the middle section, Ava’s fingertips grazed Sara’s exposed stomach and she could have swore she heard the other girl gasp over the music. As if a challenge was issued, she immediately felt Sara’s hand hold the back of her neck tighter on the next part of the song. As their hips moved with the music, their bodies got closer and closer.

Ava could barely hear the music for the beating of her heart and the intensity of the moment. The song came to an end and the two girls stopped, incredibly close to one another and staring into each other’s eyes. The dance studio was silent except for their heavy breathing and Ava felt the heaviness all around her. She saw a sparkle in Sara’s eyes and it was over.

She didn’t know if she kissed Sara or Sara kissed her, but their lips were locked and they were fighting for dominance of the kiss as they moved towards the mirrored wall. Ava’s height gave her the advantage and she had Sara pinned to the wall before either of them realized what was happening.

The kiss was fiery and intense and everything Ava hadn’t felt in a very long time. She moaned when Sara bit into her bottom lip gently and Sara grinned wickedly.

Realizing that it was all becoming too much, too fast, Ava begrudgingly pulled away from the kiss and stepped back, giving Sara the slightest bit of space.

Sara pouted cutely as Ava moved away from her grasp. “Did I do something wrong?”

Ava looked up in surprise. “Not at all! I’m just not really the random hookup sort of girl.”

Sara’s looked turned serious. “Who said this was a random hookup? I like you Ava. I like that you’re smart and driven and a little too intense sometimes.”

“I can’t imagine I’m the type of girl you usually go after,” Ava said shyly.

Sara shrugged. “You’re not. That’s why I think I like you so god damn much. Plus, you’re really sexy.”

Ava smiled shyly and blushed. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“How about this?” Sara asked. “Next week, after our demo for Zari’s class, I’ll take you to dinner. We can get to know each other more and at the very least we can become friends. What do you say?”

Ava nodded and smiled. “I think I’d really like that.”

“Awesome. It’s a date,” Sara said as she held up her hand for a high five in the hopes of easing Ava’s nerves.

Ava shook her head and laughed at Sara’s raised hand before she returned the high five with an eye roll. “It’s a date.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> What’d you think??? I’d love to hear your thoughts!!! Thanks for reading!!!


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